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These days, even if we’re just out of college, there will be companies that will ask you for work experience in order to join their payroll… and we’re not saying that’s fair!
In this article you’ll find ideas for getting work experience that will help you before you go big.
How do I get work experience to add to my resume?
If you don’t know how to get work experience to add to your CV any of the following ideas might be your solution.
Finding work might be a complex thing to do, as the requirements will be different for each company.
Some will ask for work experience, some others for cover letters, and some will ask for extracurricular activities.
But the question has been, if I don’t have work experience opportunities to gain the actual work experience, then how am I going to get experience work?
It is kind of a non ending cycle that is on a loop.
And we don’t even want to start talking about those jobs that are asking for more than 5 years of work experience placements for junior positions.
Yes, there is certainly something wrong in some companies, but that should not let you down on finding work experience.
You don’t have to look at them so literally, sometimes you have to find a way that your profession fits the bill:
Social service is always a good idea when it comes to gaining work experience placement, and there are so many tasks you can do that encompass this type of service that you are sure to find one that suits you.
Aside from that, there will always be a positive mark on your CV once it is noted that you have participated in social service campaigns as they are usually not designed to meet your own needs but those of people who need it most.
Social service is one of the greates work experience ideas since you are able to contribute in other form to society, and you can include your stories in your cover letter.
There will always be those who tell you that working for family or friends is not a good idea, and in many cases personal relationships are often put above work and this is what starts to cause problems.
However, if you are able to separate the two, and not allow one to affect the other, you can start gaining work experience to add to the CV in the company of a family member or acquaintance, surely there will be someone who will make you part of the team.
At the end, you might enjoy the industry and will prefer to keep gaining work experience at the place.
When we hear the word “festival” our mind automatically goes to music festivals, where it seems that it is not a serious environment at all.
But, even in those, those who are behind the scenes have a serious job.
Let’s be clear that nowadays there are festivals of art, food, science and any other subject.
But, what we want to get at is that you can fulfill a role that resembles what you want to show on your resume.
For example, you have the opportunity to be part of the hydration team, logistics team, medical team, security team, and many others depending on your interests.
This can be an opportunity for both, of finding work experience and excitement at the same place.
Creating a website is also a good opportunity to gain virtual work experience for your resume, especially if you are a programmer or content creator.
The success of it, as well as its setup, will be living proof that you know how to get the job done.
By building your own platform, you are also gaining new skills that will make you stand out in your field.
This can be one of the great work experience ideas, but also an opportunity to start an online business if you move it forward.
You think being a commission-based salesperson is a tough job, in most cases it will be.
But if you go into it thinking that it’s not your ultimate career destination, you may turn the situation around.
While you are a commission-based salesperson you can work on some of your skills, such as customer service, as well as salesmanship.
Learn how to communicate with people the right way and go for something more to gain experience work.
Being a sales person is a great chance to improve your CV and cover letter, as it shows your professional skills.
This is a great option for the simple fact that, as a freelancer on Fiverr or any other similar platform, you have the possibility to gain work experience opportunities to build a full CV in any area that comes to your mind.
For example, if you are a writer, you can start applying for such tasks.
The same if you are an editor, graphic designer, private tutor, or have any other skill or profession.
You will need to understand how the platform works to get the most out of it, but we assure you that it won’t be that complicated.
Besides, your profile will host your progress, so any employer can witness how well you’ve done with your virtual work experience.
Working as a barista in a cafe is one of those great opportunities to understand how sales and customer service work.
Besides, if you have the skills you can make a lot more money than you think if you keep in mind the possibility of tips.
This work experience placements might sound simple, but it develop the skill of customer service.
Volunteering with the fire department doesn’t always have to take you to the scene of a disaster, putting out flames or moving debris. Although we must say that these are activities to be proud of.
Sometimes you may be in the administrative area, helping in emergencies from another point of view, and you will also be gaining experience in the area where you work.
Maybe at the beginning this is not a possibility to get experience for your CV, but once you advance in your career it may be the right option to prepare you for the job position.
While not all students fit the profile to enter the university, you can research what you need to do and apply for it.
This is one of the work experience ideas that can open up more doors in the future as university has plenty of contact with local and regional companies.
You’ll be training educationally and professionally, and the schedules won’t be a shock to you at all.
If fitness and nutrition are your thing, being a gym assistant will be right for you.
You can go deep into what is advising people always under the supervision of an experienced professional who will help you not to harm anyone.
Apart from that, it is a good opportunity to expose yourself to a work environment where you will have to improve the quality of your customer service and the way you communicate with others.
If you are a novice photographer and do not know what to do to get experience for your CV, you should know that a good option is to be a school photographer, it will help you to improve technical aspects of photography.
Here we make a parenthesis to tell you that many times you will have to volunteer because the institutions do not have the money to pay for this type of services.
Although in other cases they may do it, but not with such a significant payment.
Working in a movie theater is the perfect opportunity to not only work in customer service, but also in logistics.
Whether you’ll be facing the public, or handling the processing of what’s needed to get all the shows started on time, you’ll know what it’s like to work under pressure.
Local businesses generally don’t have as many requirements when it comes to recruiting staff. While it is believed that the only positions you can apply for are customer-facing, there are other interesting positions.
For example, if you are a community manager you can manage their networks; or if you are an administrator or accountant you can manage their finances.
In the same way if you are a graphic designer you can do their advertising, it’s all about looking for the opportunity that allows you to grow in your area.
If you don’t know how to get work experience ideas for your CV as a veterinarian or veterinary assistant, a good option is to work on a farm.
You will live closely and day by day what is the care of animals, having to take care of them also when they are not so well.
Apart from that, and although it is not so frequent, you can help in logistics, administration, and more, if it is a farm that has the capacity for those positions.
It is well said that we do not really learn until we teach it, and being the instructor of a course could not be better when we want to enter the labor market in that area. It creates confidence in the employer and generates interest in having an expert.
Putting together a course may be a task that must be carried out with care, but if you have a perfect command of an area you can create a syllabus that respects what is necessary for learning and even post it on platforms.
To get work experience ideas for the CV in the news area, before thinking about going to Fox News (which is not a bad aspiration) you can start as a reporter in some local media.
Although it’s not about making mistakes, big networks are not a place to learn from scratch. In a local media you can always train those points of your work that you consider weak, gain confidence, learn about techniques and how to work with yourself.
When we talk about networking events we refer to those meetings that are made to connect ideas with channels that help them to materialize. In other words, taking entrepreneurs and connecting them with entrepreneurs in order to help them get off the ground.
You will always need people in the logistics area, assisting those who participate and handling many other areas to make this type of event go the way you expect it to go, so it could be a good opportunity.
